Politics & Government

The Gulf oil spill, one year later

Celia Baggett, 4, waves goodbye to the shrimp boat "Empty Pockets" as it heads out for a night of fishing in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, on June 30, 2011. The coastal towns on the Gulf of Mexico are slowly getting back to normal life a year after the oil spill from a drilling rig shut down the fishing fleets and limited tourism. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/MCT)
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Beachgoaers pack the sand and surf to kick off a long Fourth of July weekend on June 30, 2011, in Pensacola, Florida. The coastal towns on the Gulf of Mexico are slowly getting back to normal life a year after the oil spill from a drilling rig shut down the fishing fleets and limited tourism. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/MCT)
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Frank Patti, owner of Joe Patti Seafood, is happy local seafood is back in the market on June 30, 2011, in Pensacola, Florida. The coastal towns on the Gulf of Mexico are slowly getting back to normal life a year after the oil spill from a drilling rig shut down the fishing fleets and limited tourism. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/MCT)
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John Cornwell and his son, Landen, 4, try to catch waves as they kick off a long Fourth of July weekend on June 30, 2011, in Pensacola, Florida. The coastal towns on the Gulf of Mexico are slowly getting back to normal life a year after the oil spill from a drilling rig shut down the fishing fleets and limited tourism. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/MCT)
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Tim Morris casts his net from a pier in Pensacola, Florida, on June 30, 2011, in what he called a good fishing spot before the oil spill but now is more "wish fishing." The coastal towns on the Gulf of Mexico are slowly getting back to normal life a year after the oil spill from a drilling rig shut down the fishing fleets and limited tourism. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/MCT)
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Tim Morris checks his net cast from a pier in Pensacola, Florida, on June 30, 2011, in what he called a good fishing spot before the oil spill but now is more "wish fishing." The coastal towns on the Gulf of Mexico are slowly getting back to normal life a year after the oil spill from a drilling rig shut down the fishing fleets and limited tourism. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/MCT)
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Shrimp boats tie up next to Joe Patti Seafood in Pensacola, Florida, on June 30, 2011. The coastal towns on the Gulf of Mexico are slowly getting back to normal life a year after the oil spill from a drilling rig shut down the fishing fleets and limited tourism. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/MCT)
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Brothers Eric Bonds, 6, and Jeffrey Forkaer, 7, jump off the Alabama State Docks into Bayou La Batre, Alabama, on June 30, 2011. The coastal towns on the Gulf of Mexico are slowly getting back to normal life a year after the oil spill from a drilling rig shut down the fishing fleets and limited tourism. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/MCT)
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Joey Schjott fishes from shore as a shrimp boat heads out for a night of fishing in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, on June 30, 2011. The coastal towns on the Gulf of Mexico are slowly getting back to normal life a year after the oil spill from a drilling rig shut down the fishing fleets and limited tourism. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/MCT)
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A fisherman and dolphin share the waters with a distant oil platform off Elmer's Island, Louisiana, on July 2, 2011. The coastal towns on the Gulf of Mexico are slowly getting back to normal life a year after the oil spill from a drilling rig shut down the fishing fleets and limited tourism. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/MCT)
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A sign advertises the services of an attorney in cases against BP in Golden Meadows, Louisiana. The coastal towns on the Gulf of Mexico are slowly getting back to normal life a year after the oil spill from a drilling rig shut down the fishing fleets and limited tourism. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/MCT)
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This sign tells the story of one failed business in Golden Meadows, Louisiana. The coastal towns on the Gulf of Mexico are slowly getting back to normal life a year after the oil spill from a drilling rig shut down the fishing fleets and limited tourism. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/MCT)
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Fred Marshall shovels shrimp onto a scale at Dean Blanchard Seafood in Gulf Isle, Louisiana, on July 2, 2011. The coastal towns on the Gulf of Mexico are slowly getting back to normal life a year after the oil spill from a drilling rig shut down the fishing fleets and limited tourism. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/MCT)
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Captain Trung Tran watches as a disappointing haul of shrimp is unloaded from his boat after a two-week trip in Gulf Isle, Louisiana, on July 2, 2011. The coastal towns on the Gulf of Mexico are slowly getting back to normal life a year after the oil spill from a drilling rig shut down the fishing fleets and limited tourism. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/MCT)
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Joe Ragsdale is back to his roofing job and missing the money he made working for BP running his boat in spill clean up efforts last year in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, where he is shown on June 30, 2011. The coastal towns on the Gulf of Mexico are slowly getting back to normal life a year after the oil spill from a drilling rig shut down the fishing fleets and limited tourism. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/MCT) Joe Ragsdale, misses the money he was making from working the BP oil spill cleanup efforts along Bayou La Batre, Al. last summer. Ragsdale used his boat as a VOE rapid response team member. A year later, BP has left town and Ragsdale is back to his roofing job. Ragsdale is pictured at the Bayou Bait Shop, on June 30, 2011 where he helps out occasionally.
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Jumbo shrimp head to weighing and sales at Dean Blanchard Seafood in Gulf Isle, Louisiana, on July 2, 2011. The coastal towns on the Gulf of Mexico are slowly getting back to normal life a year after the oil spill from a drilling rig shut down the fishing fleets and limited tourism. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/MCT)
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Cherly Castello carries her grandson, Austin Terry, 8 months, over the surf as a fisher and shrimp boat also occupy the waters in Gulf Isle, Louisiana, on July 3, 2011. The coastal towns on the Gulf of Mexico are slowly getting back to normal life a year after the oil spill from a drilling rig shut down the fishing fleets and limited tourism. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/MCT)
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